Maniema: MSF announces early closure of its project in Salamabila due to lack of funding

On 3 October 2025, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) announced the early closure, scheduled for the end of October, of its project to care for victims of sexual violence in Salamabila, Maniema, which was initially planned to run until 2026. After seven years of activity and more than 16,000 survivors treated since 2019, the NGO justifies this decision by the drastic drop in humanitarian funding, with only 15% of the response plan covered, and by the need to redirect its resources to other critical areas, particularly South Kivu. However, MSF stresses that it has achieved its objectives by developing a replicable community model, while maintaining a minimum response to health emergencies in the province, and calls on the authorities and donors to ensure the continuity of the achievements in order to avoid a breakdown in the protection of vulnerable populations.

Overall comment: This report highlights tensions in the DRC: diplomatic deadlock with Rwanda, internal political crises, persistent violence in the east, and social fragility exacerbated by poverty and epidemics. Despite some economic progress, such as the digitisation of foreign trade and the stabilisation of the Congolese franc, the benefits for the population remain limited.

In short, the country needs inclusive political dialogue, strengthened regional diplomacy, a reformed and better-equipped army, and urgent social measures to restore peace and national confidence.